The Only Exception: Bonding
by Sidney Ella Ford
Summary: The first story in my new "The Only Exception" series. After an unexpected occurance, Embry and Leah are forced together. Over a week the two undergo wild changes, emotions, and a development that shocks all. Slight OOC, which is explained inside. R&R.
1. Prologue

**Yes, I am posting another story. Yes, this is another odd pairing. Yes, this will seem out of character and confusing at times. Don't worry, my lovely readers, all will be explained in due time. Like my English teacher loves to remind us, there are no accidents in literature. Everything in this story will play out and be explained. This is going to have multiple parts. The title of the series is _The Only Exception_, yes after the song, but there is another reason that you'll find out much later. I'm not sure how many stories will be in the series, but each story itself will have it's own story, in a way, but they'll all tie together eventually. Stay with me and it'll all make sense later. I don't own the Twilight Saga, and please review. Cyber hugs!**

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><p><strong>Embry and Leah Bonding Week<strong>

Dead leaves crunch under the heavy footfalls of a young man. He lifts his leg to retrieve the shorts from the leather thong around his ankle. He slides them on and continues the path to his private place, choosing not to leave his wolf scent on the path, knowing he was less likely to be found by his less potent human scent.

A young woman journeys a path near that of the young man. She is scantily clad in a simple black bikini, yet she is in no way less than moral. She is simply in a position that made her need to be easily stripped naked. She is a wolf as well. She needs the escape of a private getaway, one only she knows.

The young man and the young woman break through the trees onto the small cliff in the exact same instant, shocked to see one another. They are acquaintances, but in this moment, they become so much more.

Eyes lock.

Pulses race.

Worlds alter.

And then, they speak their first word as a single human being.

_Billy_!

…_**Embry and Leah Forever…Embry and Leah Forever…Embry and Leah Forever…**_

"It's destiny," the crazy old man said, for the _fiftieth_ _time_. "There's no other way to put it, hon."

I was sitting on Billy Black's tiny couch, my head between my knees, trying to get the blood in my head to start working normally. "Please, please, _please_ tell me this isn't some insane wolfie-mumbo-jumbo…"

"It's _destiny_." Fifty-_one_ times.

"Well, I guess that cancels out Harry as my Dad, because there's no way in hell the ancestors would have wanted me to imprint on my sister," Embry muttered from beside me.

Billy _laughed_. He freaking _laughed_. "As we've told you before, we're quite certain Joshua was your father. He was notorious for charming women and claiming innocent victims to his many games. Your mother was simply the most affected by his womanizing ways, even more-so than Olivia."

Embry nodded solemnly, putting a hand on my back. "You okay, Lee?"

I glared at the floor. "Do you want to keep your hand, _Bry_?"

His hand was in his lap in a second. "Sorry…"

"Leah, I understand that this is hard for you, but Harry would have wanted you to go through with it," Billy said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Please, try to use the gift you've been given."

"Gift?" I scoffed. "I, the genetic _freak_, imprinted on him, another genetic freak. How the hell does that work?"

Billy straightened himself out, obviously wanting to have spit out his theory since the moment we burst into front door, heaving for breath and scared to death. "I think it is the innermost wolf in the both of you. Obviously neither of you could have had a logical imprint with the younger pack members, and as the most dominant untaken male and the alpha female, you would have obviously found mates in one another. You are simply the perfect match. It's likely that time played itself out around you both."

Embry scoffed this time. "Yeah right, the bastard and the she-bitch are the most important members of the pack."

"Excuse me," I interjected. "I have a reason for being a bitch."

"That doesn't give you a reason to constantly remind me that I'm a bastard!"

"I'm calling your _mom_ a whore, not-"

"Embry, Leah, listen," Billy interrupted, before it could get ugly. "I suggest you spend some more time together. In fact, if you don't, I'll have Jake order you."

I was struck with a horrified thought. "Jake can't know about this. _No one_ can know about this."

"Spend time together as humans, then," Billy suggested. "Learn one another. Become friends. Don't phase for a week and see where you end up."

"What about patrols?" Embry asked, for once doing what I hoped he'd do and looking for a way out.

"Since the packs merged, your patrols are few and far between. Now get; Jake will be home soon and if you're together he'll get suspicious."

Embry and I stood from the couch and walked out the front door and into the woods, where we stopped and faced each other. We just kind of stood like that for a moment, then I turned away.

"I need to go home and go to bed and pretend none of this ever happened."

"Leah, you heard Billy," Embry protested. "We need to spend some time together. Ya know, figure this out."

I was enraged, and I turned and flew to him so I was glaring up into his concerned face. "I don't know about you, but all I've figured out from this is that I'm just a bigger freak than I thought!" Oh no… Oh please, God, don't let me cry… And of course I start crying. Stupid wolfie-emotions. "I can't even pick my own _soul-mate_ now! The fates have, once again, screwed me over and all I have to show for it is yet another guy in my life that's been messed up because of me! I can't even hide now, because no matter where I go, the fates find me!"

"Leah," Embry said softly, cupping my cheek. "Please don't cry. It hurts."

A few more angry tears escaped. "It's not fair!"

"I know," he said, even softer. "I wish you'd stop crying. You're making me hurt."

I choked back a sob that wanted to escape. "What do you mean, I'm 'making you hurt'?"

He lifted one of my hands with his free hand and held it up to his chest. "Right here, it's feeling weird. You're crying is literally wounding my heart. Leah, I don't think this was a chance thing. I think we're supposed to be in one another's lives some way or another."

I bowed my head and let a few more tears out. "I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but this is so screwed up."

"Wait, rewind…" He seemed appalled at something. "You don't want to hurt me?"

"It's the imprint talking," I said, rubbing a few stray tears away. "I personally find joy in knowing that others are in pain."

"You do know that's called sadism and it's a frowned upon custom outside of prostitution rings?" he teased, then he did something I wouldn't have expected from him. He _hugged_ me. "We'll figure this out, Leah. We just need to make a point of spending time together. If we can figure out where we're supposed to be relationship wise, we can learn how to do this whole 'imprinting' thing."

"Fine," I said, actually appreciating the comfort he offered (insert shudder here), even though it was fairly uncomfortable to be hugged by a gigantic half naked boy while in my bikini. "Starting tomorrow, we'll spend seven whole days together and see where that takes us. But I was serious about needing sleep."

He squeezed me a little and then -impulsively, I convinced myself later- kissed the top of my head. "We'll figure this out. I'll see you tomorrow."

I slowly moved out of his embrace. "Tomorrow."

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><p><strong>AN: Please review! I might now post for a while, and I might post another chapter tonight. It just depends. **

**~Sidney**


	2. Another Wolfie Issue

**I have an update! I know you're reading this, so I'd like a review or two. I don't own this. Also, please check out my blog! Link on my page. **

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><p><strong>Day One <strong>

The first thing I was aware of on the first day of Embry and Leah bonding week was the strangest thoughts in my head that were _not mine_. Had I phased in my sleep? No, I felt toes where paws would have been. Just to be sure I lifted a _hand_ to my head to find my hair was, as I hoped, still ear length and -my girly side shuddered- frizzy. So why and _what_ was I hearing?

_I wonder if you're okay. I wonder if you're thinking about me. No, you'll be asleep. You were tired. Even if you didn't say how exhausted you were, I could tell…_

_What the hell?_ I mind shrieked, amazed that I was hearing the inner ranting of none other than my imprint.

_Leah! What are you doing in my head? Oh God, please, don't let me be going insane, please God! _His horrified prayer filled my head, and it was all I could do not to phase out of utter shock.

_Embry, if you can here me, and I can here you, the imprint… Well, this is great. I can't even pick which _thoughts_ I keep to myself! _

_You mean…we have a two way connection into one another's minds. This is lovely. I'll never be able to do anything again. _He sounded as irritated as I felt.

_Well, maybe we can choose not to hear each other. Say something, but try not to think to me. What are you doing thinking of me anyway? What the hell is-_

_Leah? Yeah, _not _helping. _

_Oh, yeah, well… _I thought for a few moments, then remembered my point. _Try to keep it in your own head. _I was determined to figure out how to make my thoughts private before I got out of bed. I would _not_ tolerate someone's mind in my own while I was doing things I'd rather keep to myself, like showering and brushing my teeth.

About a minute later, his voice was back. _I said, did you hear that?_

_No. What did you say?_

_I said wasn't that a good game last weekend. I guess if you're in the back of my mind you don't hear me. Now you try. _

I focused all my energy on growling stomach, which was reminding me that I needed to eat something, since I hadn't eaten anything before I passed out. A few minutes later, I remembered I was supposed to be testing our little theory. _Hey, did it work?_

_Yeah. I thought you forgot. _

_Almost. _I finally got out of my bed and went to the kitchen.

I could see Embry following suit, but he didn't try to hide his thoughts. _How did you sleep?_

_Okay, I guess. You know this is really weird, right? Talking to each other in our heads. _

_I've learned to just go with things since I joined the pack. It's not so bad if you just pretend it's normal. _

_It's normal for us, I guess._ I began searching for something to give me energy.

_Well, where do you want to meet?_ he persisted, not dropping it like I wanted to.

_How about the field where we met up with the leech army? I'm sure no one would be there today. It's supposed to be rainy all day. Oh, don't the Cullens play baseball there or something when it rains? _

_The guys are in Alaska for the week, so we're safe. The women don't like playing as much, and Alice threatened to burn all of Bella's casual clothes if she didn't go to the Macy's sale today, so that's where they'll be. _

I thought about that, then got distracted by a full jar of peanut butter -a rarity in a house with two teen wolves and a pack of others rotating through- and grabbed it from the shelf to make a sandwich. Or two. Or six. Hey, being a wolf drains you! _How do you know so much about the Cullens? _

Embry laughed in his head, and out loud I could see in his mind. _Because I listen when we're hanging out over there. All you ever do is sleep and hang out with Blondie. _

_I resent that! I talk to Esme, too, but she isn't as obsessed with shopping and baseball and whatever the hell else they do in their crypt as the others. You know, it's been great talking to the voices in my head, but I'd like to shower and that's something I like to do without giving everyone a visual, so I'll see you in an hour? _

_An hour. And Lee? _

_Hmm?_

_Good morning. _In his thoughts I could feel the cheesy grin he was giving.

_Morning, Embry. _Goodbye _Embry._

Mind laughter. _Bye, Lee. _

And just like that the connection was gone. Funny. Very funny, fates. Very, very funny. An hour later, we came face to face at the clearing. I brought only myself and my cellular phone, something my mother thought necessary since I'd begun my lifestyle as a furry creature that ran around at all hours to protect the tribe from bloodsuckers. Embry, on the other hand, had a messenger bag, and it looked full.

"Fashion statement?" I asked, motioning towards the bag.

He smirked. "Time-passers. We have to hang out all day. Might as well have something to do."

I raised an eyebrow. "What are we, twelve? What do you have, anyway; Uno?"

"Pshaw, child's play," he said, opening the bag and pulling out something else: a laptop computer. "Billy wants bonding, we'll give him bonding."

"With solitaire?"

"I suck at Spanish, and I have homework to do for my online class."

"How can you suck at Spanish? It's just like learning how to talk again, just in a different language." I rolled my eyes at the foolish kid.

"Seth _said_ you were good with it. Can you help?" he looked a little desperate.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Three hours and one fluent Spanish speaker later, our stomachs began to growl. Stupid wolfie appetites. We decided to footrace back to my house, then we went to a diner in town. It was white-mans land, so no one that mattered would see us together. We snickered behind our menus at the oglers that were around us. We may not have had the creepy sparkly beautiful skin the Cullens had, but we were all natural baby, and apparently the people liked it.

"That girl is glaring at me," I whispered, holding back a laugh.

Embry pursed his lips and pointed to his head. _Silence is golden. _

_Ah, forgot about the mind thing. And I think that girl's boyfriend is mad._

Embry glanced back for a split second to see a pale kid that looked embarrassed and furious as the girl hanging off his arm ogled the Quileute guy. At the look on the pale kid's face, my psychotic imprint doubled over in laughter. The joy and amusement rolled off of him in waves, and I began to laugh myself.

What a sight we must have been, doubled over in laughter at apparently nothing.

When we got our food, we had a conversation in our heads, just pointing out random people and what they were doing. It was kinda cool, having a totally private conversation in such a crowded place.

"Would you like dessert?" our waitress asked, collecting our dirty dishes. She was a college student, the kind that thought she was so sexy. She looked irritated at something, and I quickly realized it was me. Not that I'd ever admit it out loud, but Embry was fairly gorgeous, and he was out with plain ole me.

Embry looked at me. "I'm up for it. Are you, sweetie?"

_Oh my gosh! EMBRY! She hates me! She's gonna spit in my food! _"Uh, um… Sure. What do you have?" _I hate you, I hate you, I hate you…_

_You know you love me._ "Do you have chocolate pie? My Leah loves chocolate pie, don't you, sweetheart?" _Let us see how this turns out with the wolf queen and the kiss-ass waitress. And she wouldn't spit in it. She wants some kind of a chance with me, in case we don't work out._

"So will that be one or two?" the waitress asked, looking more irritated than ever.

_Leah….Leah…Choose, wolf queen. Take her down!_ Mad cackling.

"One, please," I said, giving her a sugary sweet smile. _You want me to kick your ass don't you._ "Extra whipped cream."

"We don't have the light kind," the girl said, eyeing me challengingly.

_Aw, join the fun, Leah. Say something to make her mad or something. _

At Embry's urging, I said the most innocent (or least, if you want to put your mind in the gutter for a moment) thing I could, in the most innocent and oblivious tone. "We burn calories fast."

Embry turned blood red, then about fell out of his chair laughing. _The she-wolf knows how to bite! I officially love you right now! _

_As if you didn't_, I replied passively, grinning from the compliment of his amusement.

After successfully torturing the waitress and enjoying our fatty treat, we went back to the rez. Embry's mom called him and needed him to come help her with some repairs to the exterior of their house before the next big storm system blew in. He walked me to my door and smiled down at me as I dug in my pockets for my keys.

"Today wasn't half bad," he said, giving a grin.

I rolled my eyes then smiled. "Not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. I actually had a good time." I got the door unlocked and stood there awkwardly. "Well, uh…bye."

Embry studied my face, leaned down and pressed his lips to mine for about three seconds, then pulled back and blushed faintly, all before I could think about it. "Bye."

The shock of the chaste kiss alone was enough to make me stand shocked at the door before he pulled out of the gravel driveway. It was also enough to make me want to rethink hating all the 'wolfie-mumbo-jumbo'.

And I repeat:

What the _hell_ have I gotten myself into?

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><p><strong>AN: This is kinda my therepy. At the time I'm writing this, I'm under a tornado warning, and Sidney doesn't like tornado warnings... **

**~Sidney**


	3. Meet the Parents

**New update! Finally. School's coming to a close and I'm excited/exhausted from exams. This story will have about seven more chapters, then the next installment in the series will be posted. Read and review, and check out my new blog! Link on profile, and I don't own Twilight.**

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><p><strong>Day Two <strong>

I woke up the next morning to the telephone ringing in our kitchen. Mom must have gone on to work, because it rang several times before the answering machine picked it up. Seth was on patrol already, so it was me that had to get up to go check the machine. I pressed the 'play' button and listened as I looked for food.

"Um, Leah, it's Charlie. Charlie Swan. I know you're the only one home today, and I've been meaning to talk to you. Um, call me back, please. I'd like to meet you for lunch somewhere, if you don't mind. It's okay if you have to do a, um, wolf thing. Just…call back at the station, please. Bye." The 'end of message' indicator sounded.

"Weird," I thought aloud. Nevertheless, I picked up the phone and called Charlie's work number.

"Police Chief Charlie Swan," he answered, sounding much more confident than he had on the answering machine.

"Hey, Charlie, it's Leah," I said, balancing the phone on my shoulder as I started to prepare the ingredients for a large omelet. "I was asleep when you called."

He cleared his throat, going back to the nervous act. "Hello, Leah. Would you mind meeting me for lunch somewhere? I wanted to talk to you about some stuff."

"Sure," I said, trying not to sound like I wasn't paying attention. I was, it was just that I was also preoccupied. "Where?"

He was silent, and I heard flipping, like he was searching for something. "How about the diner on Fifth Street? I have a lunch break at eleven thirty, if you don't have to do anything."

"Nope, anytime's good for me," I replied, opening the fridge to survey what we had. I'd have to go grocery shopping soon… "I'm off for the week."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you at eleven thirty, then."

"See you then."

We hung up, then I was about to dial Embry's house, before remembering the mind connection. _Embry_.

Sleepy yawns. _Hey. _

_I have to meet Charlie Swan for lunch today, then I have to go grocery shopping. You wanna come over for breakfast? I'm probably making too much anyway, since it's the first time I've cooked since I've had the house to myself. _

More yawns. _Okay. I gotta take a shower, then I'll walk over. See you then._

In the half hour it took for Embry to arrive, I made two enormous omelets, a half pound of bacon, and fresh squeezed orange juice. I put everything on the table and got some clean dishes to lay out. In all my work, I forgot I was still in my pajamas until Embry arrived.

"Hey," he said, giving me a wolfish grin and a once-over. "Hot date?"

I followed his gaze and realized I was in a tattered old camisole and a pair of Seth's outgrown gym shorts. "Uh, right. I'll be right back. Help yourself to the food."

I made a mad dash to my room to pull on some decent clothes to wear in mixed company. I yanked on a pair of jeans and a baby doll top. When I went back into the kitchen, I was greeted by Embry eating a plate piled high with my cooking.

"It's official," he said, taking a gulp of orange juice to wash down the three strips of bacon he'd just swallowed whole. "You're a better cook than your cousin, and maybe even your mom."

I glowed in happiness. It was the first time someone had made a comparison of me to Emily which I'd been on the positive end of. "Um, thanks."

He looked up at me with a confused expression at my bashfulness, then it hit him. "Oh, Leah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to compare-"

"It's okay," I said, getting my own plate and grinning at him. "If you're trying to win me over you're doing a good job."

He returned the grin, then grabbed another piece of bacon. "Seriously, though, you're an awesome cook. Why don't you ever cook for the guys?"

"Because if I wanted to play pansy housewife I'd just hang out with Emily more often," I said haughtily. "I only cook when I feel like it."

"What do you have to meet Charlie for?"

"Twenty Questions much?" I laughed, sitting down. "He just called and asked if I'd meet him at the diner at eleven thirty."

Embry shut up for a while, stuffing his face. I followed suit and soon there were two satisfied wolf bellies. We decided to let our food settle while we watching the morning news. It was such a rarity for me to be completely full, what with living around all the teenage werewolf boys all the time, that when I settled down across the couch from Embry, I dozed off. The first thing I was aware of -in my dozing dream world- was Embry scooting down and placing his warm arm around my shoulders; the warmth alone was to make me sleepy. The second thing was the fact that my head was on its way to his shoulder, and I really didn't mind, for once in my life. It was quite comfortable to be using Embry as a pillow. His warmth was welcome, and he didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, I think he may have enjoyed it. It was still foreign, though, to think of the kid I'd always teased as comfortable, liked a stuffed animal or a security blanket.

"Leah…" A voice called through a haze. "Leah, it's ten thirty."

"Hmm?"

I was gently shaken awake by Embry, who smiled a little as I came to. "It's ten thirty. You probably need to wake up and get ready to meet Charlie."

"Oh," I murmured, pulling back from Embry and readjusting myself against the cushions. "Thanks. I'm sleepy."

Embry's smile widened. "I know. You were out for a while."

"You're comfortable." I really needed to wake up so I could say something intelligent, and not absolutely ridiculous. A week ago I'd gotten into a fight with him over who had to have the graveyard shift. Today I was cuddling with him like a teddy bear.

He laughed at me this time. "I can tell. You're not such a bad pillow yourself."

I was momentarily confused. "You went to sleep?"

"No, but I got comfortable, and your hair is soft."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "I need to wake up."

"Do you need a ride to town?" He looked almost hopeful.

I hadn't thought about that. I didn't have a car. Mom took hers. "Uh, sure."

"And maybe I can come shopping with you. I'm having lunch with my mom at home, and she's been bugging me to go get some groceries, too."

I didn't respond, just thinking about it. I needed a ride, but someone might see us in public together…

"We could get something sweet to make tomorrow as a part of our bonding time," he added, his voice sing song.

"Well with that on the table how can I say no?" I said, smirking and rolling my eyes.

Embry drove me to the diner and we sat in the car for a few minutes. "Good luck with whatever."

"Thanks," I replied, smiling genuinely.

Again, he caught me by surprise when he pressed his lips to mine gently, but I didn't have time to react because at that moment Charlie pulled up.

"Uh, bye," I said, blushing as I got out.

"Bye."

In the diner, Charlie and I found a small vacant table away from the crowd. After we ordered, Charlie got that uncomfortable look he gets when he's trying to say something meaningful.

"Um, Leah, I wanted to talk to you about your mother," he said, fidgeting in his seat.

"Shoot," I said, not really thinking about what he was saying.

He took a deep breath. "You know your mother and I have been serious, and we've gotten closer with our connection with the wolves and the Cullens."

"Yeah?"

"Well," he said slowly. "I wanted to ask if you would be opposed to me…asking Sue to marry me?"

To say I was shocked wouldn't be the whole truth. I was shocked, alright, but I was happy and sad, too, all at the same time. "Ch-Charlie, that would be great." And I wasn't lying. He was good to my mother, and my father wouldn't have had it any other way. In fact, Charlie was the only man Dad was comfortable with leaving my mother to (aside from Billy, who didn't count because he was like a brother to Mom). He said so to me, after the first of his heart problems several years before.

He met my eyes for the first time since the discussion started. "You don't think it would dishonor your dad's memory?"

"No," I said, feeling close to tears. "No, he would have wanted this."

"I would have asked Seth, but he's just a kid. He's so innocent, and he wouldn't know how to handle this maturely, I don't think," Charlie said.

I forced a laugh. "You hit the nail on the head with that one."

Charlie cracked a smile. "Thank you, Leah. I love your mother, I really do. And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'm licensed to kill, you know." He winked jokingly.

I gave a real laugh this time. "I highly doubt that, and if I ever needed to go to someone for help, I doubt bullets could kill what was bothering me." I made my right hand into a claw shape and gave a mock-growl.

"Well it's the thought that counts."

We finished our meal and Charlie refused to let me pay, insisting that if he was going to be my step dad he should step up and help put food in my mouth (to which I laughed and reminded him that I was, in fact, a nineteen year old woman).

"Well, my ride's here," I said, standing to leave. "Good luck with Mom. She's a hard nut to crack." I winked before sauntering out as if I wasn't a mess of emotions inside.

Once I got into the passenger seat of Embry's car, I really lost my faux confidence. Embry looked about as nauseous as I felt.

"Charlie's proposing to Mom," I said dully, turning my head to him.

He looked at me as well, a blank expression on his face. "Mom wants you to come over for dinner tomorrow night."

What. The. Hell.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter will be posted soon. Reviews, please!**

**~Sidney**


	4. Revealing the Secrets

**I was so pleased by all the reviews I got since YESTERDAY that I had to post again. This chapter will kind of suck, so I'm going to post another one later tonight. This is my first real attempt at writing in a guy's point of view, so bear with me, please. And review! Plus, I don't think I need to keep saying this, but I don't own it. **

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><p><strong>Day Three <strong>

So here's how I got here, at Embry's dinner table with Cassie Call.

**Embry POV**

I'll admit it. I was getting sick of being told off every time I disappeared for a few nights from my house. That's why I had lunch with my mom, so I could finally tell her everything. Well, almost everything.

"Embry, I'm so happy you've been home every night this week," Mom said, hugging me from behind as I sliced fresh tomatoes for her. "I've missed you."

I felt guilty, I really did. She deserved to know the truth, and that's what I told Jacob when I asked him I could please, _please_ tell her the secrets of the pack. Jake, being my best friend, agreed to it. He knew how hard it was on me. So here I was ready to sit down and tell her everything.

"I've missed you, too, Mom. I wanted to talk to you about what's been up lately," I said, carrying the sandwich stuff to the table.

She smiled, sitting down. "Shoot."

It was crazy how similar she and Leah tended to be at times. "Well, Mom, I know I've been sneaking out constantly for a long time, and this is why."

"Is there a girl? Oh, please don't make me be a grandma at thirty four, _please_. Being a teen parent is no fun, Embry, and I wouldn't trade you for the world, but having you at sixteen was-" She was getting hysterical, fast.

"Mom, there's no baby, but there is a girl. I'll get to that part later. Mom, whoever my father was, he was a Quileute, and he had the genes to make me become something. Mom, the campfire stories about Taha Aki and all the wolf men, those are all true," I said slowly, letting it sink in.

She was silent, then skeptical. "Embry, this is absurd."

"Mom," I said, putting my hands over hers on the table. "I'm a werewolf."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, I thought you were going to tell me you were a reincarnation of one of those people."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. But keep going about the werewolf thing. I want to know."

I was amazed at her reaction. "Okay, well, first of all, it's not a full moon thing. Whenever we feel like it, we can turn into our wolves. We just protect the tribe, mainly, but we kill vampires every once in a while."

"And where does the girl come in?"

"Werewolves have a strange way of finding our soul mates. When they see their soul mate, they know it, and then it's all about that other person. We call it imprinting, and I've imprinted. On Leah Clearwater. She's a wolf, too, and she imprinted on me."

"Show me," Mom said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Turn into a wolf for me." She looked expectantly at me.

I turned a little red. "I have to take all my clothes off, Mom."

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Embry Morgan Call, I changed your diapers and bathed you until you were eight. Get. Over. It."

I reluctantly stood up and led my mother outside. She was being strangely abrupt with me, and I wouldn't dare test her. I shed my clothing and drew the heat from my core, growing into my wolf. I phased down just as fast, not wanting to risk my thoughts slipping to the pack. I pulled on my shorts and then dashed to my mother, who turned ice white.

"Embry?" she said softly, looking faint.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Tell Joshua Uley that he's the world's biggest screwball and that he needs to castrate himself before someone else does."

"Why?"

She got a distant look in her eyes. "Because after fathering werewolves, he may just father the next Charles Manson."

I really had no idea what she was talking about, but it was my mother. She rarely made sense. "Mom, are you okay?"

"He's your father. Joshua Uley is your father." That made more sense…

I was just glad her anger wasn't directed at me, and that I had a positive identification of my father, though it just made my thing with Leah that much more challenging. Sam would have the biggest werewolf tantrum in history when he found out his ex was with his brother…

"I think." Mom swayed on her feet, then fell into my arms. "Or not. This is a lot to stomach, baby boy. I love you, but I really don't know how to handle this. Can you get me inside?"

This was my favorite part. After giving up her childhood to raise me, I could do something to help her, by way of my unnatural strength. I lifted my mother into my arms and carried her inside and laid her on the couch, sitting on the floor next to her and holding her hand. "Mom, I'm so sorry I never told you. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Baby boy, I love you so much. You owe me nothing. But I do have a request," she said, looking devious.

"Anything."

"Invite Leah to dinner tomorrow night. I want to get to know my future daughter-in-law."

I blushed furiously. She had to go to sleep after that, overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion, and I left a note that I was going to get some groceries. I just knew that this was going to take some getting used to. My mother was tough, but even the strongest people need a break.

**Leah POV**

After Embry relayed the information to me, I found myself happy for him, but annoyed, because if his mother was anything like him, there would be some difficulty tonight.

"Leah, dear, would you like something to drink?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

"Just water, thank you," I said, trying to pretend this wasn't weird.

Cassie had mentioned the 'wolf thing' once or twice, but was acting overly normal.

"Embry, get your girlfriend some water," Cassie said, swatting Embry's backside when he put a salad on the table.

Embry just smiled and obeyed his mother, even though I knew he'd taken the time to reassure her that I wasn't his girlfriend. She was just trying to get a rise out of her son, and failing miserably.

_Is she normally this okay with the supernatural? _

Mind laughter._ I was just thinking about that. She's taking this quite well. I'm just gonna go with it. _He placed a glass of ice water in front of me and winked where his mother couldn't see.

"Embry Morgan Call, are you keeping secrets from your mother?"

_And of course she's a mind reader… Sorry. _He gave me, then his mother, sheepish looks. "Sorry, Ma."

"Oh, don't you 'sorry Ma' me," she said, giving his backside another swat. "You have kept far too many things from me already."

"Sorry, Ms. Call," I said, biting my lip and looking down.

She smiled sweetly. "You have nothing to apologize for, Leah, dear. And please call me Cassie. If I understand this entire ordeal correctly, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other. You don't have to be formal with me."

I blushed and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

The dinner was very nerve-wracking. Embry and his mother were somewhat alike in the sense that they were absolutely nuts, yet extremely intelligent. Cassie, however, was a very dominant personality. She led the conversation, Embry did whatever she told him to do. She asked him for more Pepsi, he got her a Pepsi. She asked him to clear the table, he cleared the table. She asked him to give me a kiss goodnight… You see where this is going.

The evening was quite fun when Embry and I got over our nerves, and we had fun making fun of Embry, she sharing anecdotes of a young Embry, me sharing ones of his times as a wolf. All too soon it was ten o'clock, and it seemed to be a good time to leave, as Embry and his mother began to release identical yawns, their carbon-copy lips forming 'O's and exhaling gently.

"I'll get out of you're way," I said, giving a smile and standing up. "I had a good time."

Cassie smiled and stood up, then gave me a hug rivaling a werewolf. "It was so nice to meet you! You're such fun to have around, Leah, dear. Do come over again, sometime, please. You're so sweet, and my son is smart to have snagged you up. Embry, give your girlfriend a kiss goodnight."

_Leah, you don't have to…_ Embry was embarrassed and nervous.

_It's okay._ I gave a mind-smile.

When Embry stood up and walked over to me, Cassie just smiled. "Go on."

_Last chance_.

I didn't even respond to him. I simply put my hands on his cheeks and stood on tiptoe, beginning the kiss for the first time. When I pulled back, I gave a soft smile. "Goodnight, Embry."

Embry looked dumbfounded, and that's how he looked as I left his house.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please. **

**~Sidney**


	5. We All Fall Down

**Okay, firstly, I want to give a shoutout to a loyal reviewer that FFN won't let me send a reply to, **mami-hai**, who has been so sweet and supportive, and has really encouraged me, so thank you! I don't own Twilight, and this chapter gets a little deep, so hang tight!**

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><p><strong>Day Four <strong>

The next morning, Embry was there bright and early. We'd spent the whole day before prepping for dinner with his mom, so we didn't get a chance to make our sweets. We set to work making a triple chocolate cake, complete with chocolate cake, icing, and chips mixed into the batter and frosting.

"You're a slob," I laughed, bumping Embry's hip with my own as he attempted the lick all of the frosting off his hands after a fatal mistake with the term 'hand mixing'.

He retaliated my hip bump by putting a dot of chocolate on my nose. I stuck my tongue out at him, then attempted to touch the tip of my nose with my tongue, but I couldn't quite reach. Embry simply grinned and kissed my nose, effectively taking the chocolate away. "Yum."

"Face chocolate is yummy?" I teased, touching my finger to the sticky concoction in the bowl. "Hmm, I just may have to try that one day." My hand shot up and swiped a short streak down his cheek. "Oh, well here's some to try right now!"

I had no idea what was coming over me. I was never this girly, silly, flirty person that was inhabiting my body. Nevertheless, I found myself standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, taking most of the chocolate with me. Embry's grin looked almost painful.

"That is good," I said, flashing my own grin at him. I turned around and bent over to look at the cake through the window of the oven. "Cake looks done. How long is left on the timer?"

Instead of answering, Embry stepped dangerously close to me. "About thirty seconds."

I opened the oven and reached inside, forgoing mitts since I was desensitized to heat anyway. I just had to take it out quick, or I'd scar for a day. "All done. Wanna frost now or let it cool?"

Embry's strong arms wrapped around my waist. "You're not making this whole 'just friends' thing easy on me." His breath was hot in my ear, and I found myself unwillingly shuddering at the sensation.

"W-what do you mean?" I tried to act natural, playfully slipping out of his arms to test the temperature of the cake. "I think we should frost it while it's hot. It'll go on smoother."

"Leah," Embry persisted. "We haven't talked about our relationship in words."

"This week is to help us figure that out, or at least get used to each other. Hand me the spatula?"

"Leah!"

"What?"

"Please listen to me!" Embry almost whined. "I want to talk about this."

I sighed and turned around. "Look, we're not in a place to talk about this, yet. Let's just say we're more than 'just friends', but we're not together. Okay?"

He sighed, giving me an apologetic look. "Look, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with this. Mom was giving us a hard time last night, and I didn't know if it was bothersome to you."

I carefully stepped close to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I'm fine. It's sweet of you to care, but really, I'm perfectly fine. Now help me finish the cake, please."

"Okay," he said, releasing me and getting the spatula I asked for.

We had fun frosting the cake, and adding a ton of extra chocolate chips. In the end, we had more on ourselves than our cake, and it was entertaining, in a way. Embry had the majority of the chocolate on him (his impatience with the 'tiny' spatula getting the best of him, spawning him to use his hands), so I refused to let him touch anything until we got enough off of him.

"Hold still!" I laughed, running his forearms under hot water. "This stuff is sticky."

He wiggled around, making it hard for me to get the mess off of him. "The water's hot!"

"You're a werewolf; suck it up." I scrubbed at the chocolate, trying to get it off. "This stuff is like glue!"

"How many ways are you gonna manage to say that the chocolate is sticky?" Embry laughed, bumping my hip. "I think I can handle it from here. Why don't you get us a piece to try?"

I obliged, wanting to get into the chocolate. Hey, I'm a girl, and I have a constant appetite. Chocolate is a _necessity. _

I cut a large slice, eager to taste the treat. When Embry deemed himself clean enough to touch things he picked up a clean washcloth from the counter and dampened it, coming to me to wipe away the few smears of chocolate on my face, neck, and arms. It was a foreign action to me, but it was also natural in a way. I was beginning to get scared with how quickly we were bonding, growing closer and more in synch with one another.

"All clean," he said, tossing the cloth into the sink. "Cake time."

I produced two forks from the cutlery drawer, then we dug in. After one huge bite, we both moaned embarrassingly loud, then laughed through our mouthfuls of cake. It was delicious, and we polished off the entire slice, then cleaned the leftover chocolate from the plate with our fingers, fighting for the most chocolate. Embry managed to scoop the last bit up, much to my dismay. However, I grinned hugely when he offered it to me. Instead of whatever my instincts were thinking he was going to do, he swiped it across my lips, looking down into my eyes carefully.

"Mine," he said lowly, his voice nearly a growl.

_Me or the chocolate? _I thought before I could help it.

He smirked, a gleam in his eyes. "Guess."

Before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me. _Really_ kissing me. Not just two pairs of lips casually pressed together. This was a deep, slow kiss, one that both parties are active participants and exactly the kind of kiss that would lead to a happily ever after, if it were in a movie. Embry's hands tenderly cupped my cheeks, pulling me closer. While a part of me wanted him to pull away, another -much bigger- part wanted him to stay right where he was, or closer. That part won, and I found myself reaching for him, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him flush against me.

"Leah? You home? Holy crap…"

None other than Jacob Black had walked into my kitchen, only to find Embry and I closer than we'd ever been. Embry's hands were still on my cheeks, and my fingers were curled into his shirt desperately. My heart beat increased immeasurably, my body flushed with heat, and my body became a ticking time bomb. I was losing my control for the first time in a long time, and if I didn't calm down fast, I'd be a wolf.

"What's going on, you two?" Jacob asked, looking as shocked as I felt. "Are you two like…a _thing_ now?"

Embry's eyes snapped to me as my own fell shut, willing the wolf to stay down. My body hummed with vibration, and I knew I was going to lose it very, _very _soon. "Leah…"

"Shut up!" I whispered through gritted teeth, my hand tightening in his shirt impossibly. "Help me… Can't… Phase…"

"What's going on?" Jacob demanded now, apparently frightened by my sudden loss of control. "Leah, get outside before you destroy your house."

Embry leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Calm down… It'll be okay…"

Jacob knew in that instant that we had bonded in an irreversible way, recognizing the symptoms of the imprint. "No way… That's why Dad told me to lay off you guys? This is insane…"

A feral growl escaped the back of my throat, my fingers ripping twin holes in Embry's shirt. I had no choice. The wolf was going to show herself in one way or another. Before either male could do anything, I was ripping through the house, diving out the door and out of my clothes, the grey wolf overtaking me.

_Leah? _Jarred.

_Lee? _Seth.

_You're back, Leah! _Brady.

I threw back my had and let out a heart wrenching howl before diving into the woods, trying to focus on anything but Embry. Old people… Hospitals… Monkeys…

_Leah, are you okay? _Worry filled the pack mind as Embry phased.

_Embry, shut up!_

Too late. It was all over. Everyone saw _everything_.

_You kissed my sister?_ Fury.

_Leah, are you-_

_SHUT UP! _I howled again, trying to block everything out. No more revelations, please…

I phased down somewhere outside of my house, curled into a tiny ball, and cried for no apparent reason. I wasn't sure how long I was there, but after a while Jacob showed up in human form, holding out a t-shirt and some shorts.

"Embry smelled you but didn't want to make you mad if he phased and you weren't decent." He laid the clothes in front of me, keeping his eyes trained on my face. "I didn't see anything, I swear."

Of course he didn't. My knees were pressed into my chest and I was backed against a tree. "Just go away. I don't want to face this."

He nodded and left me alone. I slowly slid into the clothing he'd brought me, then made the short trek home. I walked into my front door and saw the kitchen as we'd left it. Instead of cleaning it, I walked back to my room and threw myself facedown on the bed. Never had I felt so defeated in my life.

The pack had seen it all. When Embry phased, our days together had been on display for the world to see. The close encounters, the teasing, the comfort, the dinner at his mother's, the kisses… _Everything_. I'd be the laughing stock, now. They'd have all the more reason to hate me. I was already the soul female wolf. Now I had magically found a mate that was a _packmate_. Big no-no.

Seth was _furious_, Jake looked distraught by another imprint in the pack, and the last thing I heard Jarred think was something about telling Sam.

Sam… I hadn't thought about him in five days. That first day was a blur of insanity and thoughts of murdering Billy Black. Here we were, smack dab in the middle of our week, and I hadn't thought about him. Everything with Sam seemed so…pointless now. It was over and done with. In a boring world, we'd probably be married and settled down with a kid or two, maybe one on the way. In this world, the fates didn't want us together, and I was kind of glad. After seeing his true colors, reading his mind, he seemed to be the kind of guy I wouldn't mesh with. He was temperamental and harsh, just like me, but he didn't know when to stop or how to redeem himself. I'd found my limit, found where I was supposed to stop and backtrack. I'd learned to control my impulses and anger, for the most part. Of course I had some issues with controlling my natural female impulses, such as crying when upset and losing my temper when I was pushed to the edge. Sam was just mean, and Godspeed to Emily for marrying him those two months ago.

Meanwhile, Embry was calm, cool, and collected. He'd been quite in control, even in the beginning. He was always my polar opposite, quiet and kind, in control of his natural impulses. The wolf in him wasn't a raging beast like the wolf in me. He was, in simplest form, a good guy.

That I was falling for…

The realization that I was over Sam and falling for Embry was enough to make me stop crying. And then start again. This was _crazy_. Why me? Why did everything have to happen to me? My sweetheart dumps me for my cousin, my daddy died, I became a creature of the forest, I found my soul mate in someone I'd clashed with for ages, and now the pack would surely hate me. How had everything gone to hell and back so fast?

"Leah, sweetheart?"

A soft voice woke me. I hadn't realized I'd fallen asleep, but now my room was dark and my mother was kneeling at my bedside.

"Jacob said you were having a bad day, and Seth refuses to talk to anyone about it," she said, stroking my mess of hair from my face. "Do you need to talk to me?"

Before I knew it, I was sobbing in her arms. "Mommy, everything's going wrong!" I'd called her Mommy when Dad died. I also called her Mommy when Sam left me, when he and Emily formally announced their engagement, and when I finally came home after the battle with the Vultori. It was my destroyed persona.

"Oh, sweetheart," she breathed in my ear, rocking me gently. "What happened?"

"I imprinted on Embry." Well, better to cut to the chase. "And he imprinted on me, too." As if that made it less pathetic.

She sighed and rubbed my back. "I had a hunch. You've been spending all your time with him, and Seth said he smelled him here the other day. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

I sniffled. "We told Billy. We wanted to keep it a secret until we figured it out, then Jake found out and I got so upset I phased, then Embry phased to check on me and now everyone knows. I bet they're all having a laugh right about now."

Mom pulled back and looked me in the eye. "Don't talk like that, young lady. Jacob, Jarred, and Sam have all called to check on you. They're all worried about you because you phased down and disappeared."

I rubbed my eyes. "They were all talking so much I couldn't think. I had to get out of the pack mind."

"Do you love him?"

"What?" _That_ caught me off guard.

She laughed. "You're almost an adult. I find it a legitimate question."

I made a face.

"Fine, do you _like_ him?"

I blushed. "I guess. I'm over Sam, finally, at least."

Mom hugged me again. "It's all going to work out, sweetheart. Do you want anything to eat?"

"I don't really have an appetite," I sighed, wiping the cooling tears from my face. "I kinda wanna go back to sleep."

"Goodnight, then, sweetheart," she said, kissing my head. "I love you, Leah."

"Love you, too, Mom."

She left me to my thoughts, which were filled with longing of sleep and normality. As I was falling asleep I heard someone speaking to me.

_I'm sorry, Leah_.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please, and check out my blog if you're a member of blogger! **

**~Sidney**


	6. Just Try

**I have been updating this like crazy, but I can't help it. The feedback is amazing, especially for the pairing, and for nearly every author and story alert/favorite I've received, I've gotten some kind of feedback. That's got to be some kind of record for me, and I thank everyone for that. I don't own anything recognizable. Also, review and check out my poll on my profile. **

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><p><strong>Day Five <strong>_**Part One**_

I woke up in a warm pair of arms. I could feel sun on my eyelids, and at this time of year it had to be midday for the sun to be that bright. At first I thought it was Mom, then I realized her arms were too small. My second thought was that it was Seth wanting to make up from the day before, but his arms were too small as well. Who could it be?

"Morning, Leah," a husky voice said in my ear.

I opened my eyes and blinked past the sleep. "What are you doing here, Jake? And what's with the cuddling?"

He laughed a bit, and I realized I wasn't laying down, but sitting up and leaning on him heavily. "Sue let me in. She said you had a rough night and might need some reassurance."

I sighed and tried to pull back. "I can't believe she told you that."

"She figured I could order you to come to the bonfire on the beach tonight. It'll be the first time Nessie comes, so it won't be too rough on you guys to be coming as an imprinted couple," he said casually.

"Look," I said, crossing my arms. "I don't want to go. I haven't even talked to Embry since yesterday. I can't just show up with him like we're a thing."

Jacob put his hands on my shoulders. "Leah, please come. None of us are mad at you, I swear. The ancestors threw us for a loop this time. I'm a little thrown off by this one, but I'm not mad."

"Seth is mad," I huffed, not meeting his eyes.

"Seth is an overprotective brother that got an eyeful when Embry phased," he said, looking close to laughter again. "He's pissed, but he'll get over it. I did, and Paul and Rachel have done much more than kiss, let me tell you."

I chuckled a little at his expense. "Poor you. Poor Seth. I should explain it to him before someone else does…"

"C'mon, Leah," Jake pushed, giving me a playful shove. "Come tonight. It'll be fun. Please?" He made a pouty face, which made me laugh.

"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes when he yanked me into a hug. "You know, you're gonna be my step nephew-in-law."

Jacob pulled back and gave me a confused look, then busted out laughing. "Oh, really now? Charlie's manning up. Hey, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Do I have to answer?"

"Do you like Embry?"

Why must everyone ask me this? And why must I blush every time it's asked?

Jacob smiled. "I won't tell anyone. You should talk to him."

I sighed involuntarily, blurting before I could stop myself, "I miss him."

Jacob pulled me into a hug again, not as rough as the other. "Talk to him. _Before_ the bonfire." That was a slight order, but I involuntarily obeyed, not that he knew.

_I miss you_. "I need to get dressed. Bye."

"See you tonight."

He left me to my thoughts. All I could think about was that Embry hadn't said anything yet, and it'd nearly been five whole minutes. I was taken off guard by him not responding. Usually he was all for the freaky wolf stuff. Maybe he was mad at me for storming off the day before. I contemplated the situation while looking for something to wear. I decided to wear my black bikini instead of underwear, and pulled on a pair of denim shorts and a muscle shirt I found in my drawer. I went to the kitchen and felt a little better about the day when Mom greeted me with a hug, a kiss, and a plate full of food. I sat down next to Seth, who was scowling into his hash browns.

"You're wearing my shirt," he grumbled, huffing and then stabbing a sausage patty with his fork. I had a feeling I knew who he was pretending that sausage patty was.

"Your shirt you outgrew _before_ you first phased," I reminded him, nudging him. "What's wrong, Sethy?"

As far as brothers and sisters go, Seth and I were close and got along very well. We bickered a bit, but the four year age difference aided in our coexistence. His being uncomfortable with Embry was a harsh blow to me. He and Sam had been buddies back in the day. Sam taught him how to throw a football when he was ten and Sam and I had first become an item so long ago. Up until the whole ordeal with Emily, Seth praised Sam.

Seth's response to my question was a glare and a muttered, "Don't call me that!"

Mom, I noticed, had bare hands, which meant that Charlie had yet to propose. After dad died, she had their wedding bands melted together as a medallion with their names and anniversary embossed on it, which she wore tucked under her collar all the time, so there was plenty of room for jewelry. That canceled out any of Seth's anger being spread out over several things. It was all me, for the first time, that weighed on his young shoulders.

"Seth, do you want anything else?" Mom asked, waiting until he shook his head 'no' to take his plate. "Well, I'm going to Port Angeles with Cassie Call today. She called me last night and asked if I'd like to come over for dinner sometime with you, since we'll be seeing more of each other, and I invited her to come with me to do some shopping and errands. I didn't know Embry had told her about the pack, yet."

I mentally cringed at the face Seth made. "Uh, no, I haven't really been seeing a lot of either of you in the last few days. I'm really sorry."

"Funny." Seth had a murderous look in his downcast eyes.

Mom looked confused. "What's funny, sweetie?"

"That's what Embry said when he let the world see you two _sucking face_," Seth spat, knocking his chair down as he stood in fury. He was so rarely angry at me that it caught me off guard. "I guess you just have to be the extreme in one way or another. Either you're a cold blooded bitch or an easy whore."

"Seth. Haden. Clearwater." Mom looked as murderous as Seth did. "You do not use that kind of language, and you do _not_ talk that way to your sister."

Seth's chest heaved in anger. "Fine. I'm talking to myself. Everything in the stupid place is going to hell, and she doesn't even care now that she's pulled the stick out." He turned to leave, then looked over his shoulder at me. "I think I liked uptight bitchy Leah better."

He then stormed to his room, leaving me and Mom shocked. Mom made a move to follow him, but I stopped her. "Let him chill out. He's just…angry and overprotective."

Mom sighed and sat across from me. "This is hard on him. He was so crushed when Sam hurt you. He's so worried about you getting hurt again."

"How do you know?"

"He told me last night after we talked. He's more upset at Embry than you, for kissing you in the first place, but he's upset at you for letting him."

I inwardly screamed in anger. Why was this entire thing so complicated? The pack was reeling, Jacob was outraged at the ancestors, Mom was worried, Embry wasn't talking to me, and the one guy left in the world that I could turn to was furious with me. What could happen to make things worse? _And I swear, ancestors, if you prove that it can get worse, I will kick your asses back to life then kill all of you again. _

I wished Embry would hear that. It would make him laugh, I'll bet.

"Look, Mom, I have a lot on my plate-no pun intended," I said, glancing down at my breakfast plate. "I can't handle the new emo Sethy. I swear I'll deal with him, but I have my assignment for the day, from Billy, Jacob, and whoever's making my life a living hell."

Mom smiled gently. "I'm not asking you to deal with him. He'll come around. Eat up and go find Embry. Cassie said he called from somewhere and said he was staying the night at a friends."

I nodded, thanking her with my eyes. She seemed to be the only person to get things. After I ate, I set out on foot to find Embry. While in human form, my sense of smell wasn't as strong as when in wolf form, but it was still strong enough to find his path from the day before. It took a while to walk it, but I found myself breaking through the trees at the Cullens' home. What was he doing there?

I walked up to the front door and knocked, waiting nervously. To my surprise, the baby answered the door. I couldn't say she was a baby, really, because she was in the body of a small seven year old, but she was grinning and bouncing.

"Hi, Leah!" she squealed, launching herself at my legs. "What are you doing here?"

I knelt down to her level and whispered, almost inaudibly. "Where's Embry?"

She grinned and pressed her tiny hand to my cheek. _Upstairs asleep. Daddy's listening, and they're all placing bets on-_

"Renesmee, we do not over share with guests," an embarrassed Edward said, scooping the kid up. "Hello, Leah. What brings you here?"

I scowled at him. "If you know, why do you ask?"

"Courtesy. He's upstairs, third door on the left."

"Thanks," I said, slipping past him.

I passed the tall blonde with the burly idiot. Emmett coughed something into his hand that sounded like something I shall not repeat, but Rosalie slapped his head and gave me an apologetic look. "Good luck."

I was thrown off guard. "Why?"

She shrugged. "You're not as annoying as the other mutts, and everyone deserves a chance at love."

I blushed at the word 'love'. "Um… Thanks."

I mentally shook myself and continued my trek to find Embry. _If you're naked, cover up. I'm coming in. Fine, don't talk to me._ I threw open the door to the room Edward said he was in and found Embry dead to the world. He was on his stomach, splayed out like a starfish, a sheet bunched around his hips. I stepped in and sat on the edge of the bed, poking him as carefully as I could. He still fell off the bed.

"What the he-" _Crash!_ Embry sat up and looked at me over the bed. "What the hell?"

I shrugged, sliding on to the bed and sitting cross-legged. "I was worried. You weren't on the rez and you weren't answering me when I talked to you."

Embry stood up and ran a hand through his bed head. "I was asleep."

"Obviously."

"And _you_ ran away from _me_." He looked hurt.

I looked at my lap. "I know, and I'm sorry."

"It hurt, Leah," Embry said, walking around the bed and sitting on his knees on the floor beside me. "Why did you do that?"

I kept staring at my lap, even when he grabbed my knees and twisted me to face him. "I was upset, and it hurt me too. I'm…sorry."

Embry opened his arms and waited for me to make a move. He hugged me close and rubbed my back. "I'm sorry. I missed you."

I grinned into his chest. Things were pretty damn screwed up, but he'd forgiven me, and the raging she-wolf liked that. "Me too."

"Do you wanna come to the bonfire with me tonight?"

I hesitated a bit, not wanting to hurt his feelings. _Yes, but I'm under orders to anyway, whether I want to or not. _

Embry pulled back from the hug and made a bemused face. "Okay then." _Not maaaaaad._

I smiled, then went back to the issue at hand. "Okay then. How'd you end up here?"

"It's a long story," he said, looking uneasy, and I was about to say he didn't _have_ to tell it, but he took my hands in his. "But I'll tell you."

Embry stood up and moved to sit down next to me, grabbing my knees again to turn me to face him. He took my hands again and got a faraway look in his eyes. "Well, after you phased down, I got a mental bitch-out from Seth. He was _pissed_ at me. Then Sam phased and I thought everything was going to hell, but Seth rounded on him for leaving Leah in the first place and I was able to phase down. Jacob gave me some clothes and I asked if he'd take you some because if I found you naked you'd castrate me."

I had to laugh. Jacob had obviously cleaned up some of what he relayed to me.

"Well, then I wandered around the woods, trying to figure out what to do. I actually went to Jake's house, and he offered to let me crash. He let me vent, too. Quil came over and we all at a guy to guy to guy afternoon. They really helped me out, and they didn't say anything when I cried."

I caught my breath. I'd made him _cry_? That's the one thing that made me the most ashamed. After all the people that had made me cry, I should have known better. I reached up and took his face in my hands. "I'm so, _so_ sorry." My voice cracked on the second 'so'.

One of his hands curled around mine, another reaching out to thumb away the single tear that had escaped my eyes. "It's okay. It was mostly because I could feel your pain. It was…strong. It was kinda like you were in my head screaming at me, but you weren't, because you didn't answer back when I checked. Back to how I got here; after we had our guy time, Jake asked me to come with him to see Nessie. Jasper could tell I was bent out of shape, and obviously Edward heard me, so Esme offered me a guest room and food. I took the bed, but I felt too sick to my stomach over this to eat. Then you scared the crap out of me with your wake up call."

I chuckled a little. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"Me too, Leah," Embry said, pulling me into his arms. He went in to kiss me, but I held up a hand to stop him.

"Isn't this what got us into this in the first place?" I said weakly, hesitant about opening that door again.

"I don't wanna fight this anymore, Leah," he said, resting his forehead against mine. "The attraction is inevitable and I'd be lying if I said I haven't always had a bit of a crush on you. I mean -excuse me for this terminology, but you're hot. You're a totally gorgeous girl. You were just such a bitch to me for so long I automatically assumed you'd tell me to screw off and then try to castrate me. But now it's easier to be honest with you, and I love that."

I blushed a little, but remained hesitant still. "What are we getting into?"

Embry's lips brushed over mine. "I have no idea. I just know I can't fight the wolf."

My feelings were the same, and I showed him that. _Me either, but I'm not ready for a relationship. At least…not the depth that ours is bound to reach. I'm not ready for a boyfriend, soul mate, whatever we're supposed to be._

"Than let's not fight the wolf," he urged, his hot breath fanning over my lips. "Let's just go with it. Let's just _be _together. I want to hold your hand in public, and hug you, and kiss you, and everything that I've been holding back from doing, Leah. At the very least I want to be able to protect you. I want to be more than just friends. Please, Leah. _Please._"

I nodded slowly. "Okay. Okay, let's try."

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please, and check out my blog and my poll. **

**~Sidney**


	7. A New Friend

**So, finally part two. I'll be posting more later today or tomorrow, and the rest of this story will be up later this week. The next installment will be posted as soon as this one is done. I don't own this, and please review. **

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><p><strong>Day Five <strong>_**Part Two**_

"Leah, you don't have to-"

I grabbed Embry's right hand in both of mine. "Yes, I do."

What did I have to do? Walk down the stairs of the Cullen house. Holding his hand. It was the closest thing to the 'Walk of Shame' I'd ever do. Embry was swearing up and down that he was okay if I wanted to go slow with the whole 'trying' thing, but holding hands wasn't as big a deal as he was making it.

"Let's just go," I said, tugging him to his feet.

We made it downstairs with minimum blushing/palm sweating, and I was quite proud of myself for braving the intimacy of hand holding (please note sarcasm). But I was proud I didn't shy away. It was admittedly hard for me to trust those of the male perspective after Sam, but Embry couldn't hurt me. Good thing about the imprint number one: Embry leaves me, the fates kick his ass back to me.

At the bottom of the stairs, we were accosted by Esme, or Mama Leech, as I liked to call her when in appropriate company. "Would you like something to eat, dears?"

I was about to explain that Mama Wolf had already fed me to the brim, but Edward caught my eye across the room and gave the slightest shake of his head. I took it to mean 'let her have her fun', and he smiled and gave a slight nod when he heard that. I rolled my eyes at him, then allowed Embry to accept on behalf of the both of us. We were dragged into the kitchen, where Rosalie was trying to feed to baby.

"I don't want it," the little girl who's name I still can't pronounce correctly insisted. "I ate yesterday."

"Sweetheart, human food isn't the same as vampire food," the blonde insisted, trying to get the little girl to accept a bowl of oatmeal. "If you eat human food one day, you have to eat again the next day."

The little girl pouted. "But I wanted to go hunting with Jacob before the bonfire tonight."

"You need to eat something now so you can be nice and clean," Esme tried, offering her a banana.

Embry let go of my hand to scoop the kid up. "You wanna eat with me and Leah, Nessie?"

The kid -Nessie? Did I not pay attention enough?- grinned. "Yeah! I'll eat with Uncle Embry!"

Rosalie's head fell into her free hand. "Okay, sweetheart. Well, when you're ready to get dressed come find Aunt Rosie, okay?" She waited until the baby answered to leave.

"Okay!" Nessie squealed, nodding. "I'll eat now, Nana! I want to eat with Uncle Embry since he couldn't play with me and my Jacob last night."

"Sorry about that, kiddo," he said, swinging her around. "I was sleepy."

Suddenly, the little girl reached for me. She gave me this sweet little angel smile and I couldn't help but return one and let her climb into my arms. She leaned up and put her tiny hand on my face. _I heard Jakey tell Momma that he was having emotional problems with a _girl_. I was supposed to be asleep, but I heard anyway. _

I bit my lip and blushed in embarrassment. I had no idea what to do. _Help, please, Embry._

He gave me a confused look. _What did she say?_

I relayed the message, and he almost laughed. "Nessie, let's get some food."

The baby chatted happily through the meal, eating what Mama Leech sat in front of her, not really noticing it. I wasn't eating much, but it went unnoticed for the most part, though I did help myself to one of Esme's _amazing_ homemade cinnamon rolls. I was stifling a moan on the third bite when Embry touched my face lightly. I looked at him, mouth full, and made a confused face.

"You had icing on your chin," he said, smiling.

Nessie let out a gasp, making our eyes snap to her. "_You're_ that girl he was having emotional problems with! Did you have a fight? Have you made up? Is Leah gonna be my aunt now?"

At the first question, I tinged pink. The second, I turned a pale shade of red. The third, I was bloody red. "Uh…um…"

"Renesmee, we do not over question the guests," Edward said, swooping in. "Um, Leah, Rosalie wanted to talk to you in private when you finish eating."

Embry met my eyes and shrugged slightly. We didn't even need to have the mind connection to share confusion. I just shrugged and looked at Edward. "Fine. I think I'm done here."

"Me, too," Embry said, making to stand up. "I'll wait until you two get done talking."

"You haven't eaten in at least twenty-four hours. You eat, I'll talk to Rosalie, then we can go to the rez," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder to hold him down.

Embry made a face. "I'm really done, and it's been eighteen hours."

"Then you go on back to the rez and I'll meet you at your house when I'm done talking."

_I don't want to leave you alone with her_. His eyes were wide and I could see the wolf stirring.

_I'll be okay. She's not as bad as you guys think you are. She's just on a different level of…self preservation. _

_You mean intelligence and that she's a stubborn bitch?_

The look I gave him was enough to make him agree to what I'd said before. Not too long ago he'd thought I was a bitch, too, and look where he was now: being an overprotective…whatever he was to me at this point.

I smiled when he agreed. "I'll walk you out."

Esme wouldn't let us help her clean up, so we went on into the living room and to the front door, partially concealed.

"If you need me you know how to reach me," Embry said, squeezing my hands. "I'll be home."

I nodded and smiled at him. "Okay. I'll see you in a bit."

Naturally and without thinking, as if we'd been doing it our whole lives, we leaned together and shared a light, brief kiss.

"See you," Embry said, before walking out the door with a faint grin on his face.

I was about to turn to walk back into the main room, but the blonde appeared out of no where, and touched my arm lightly. "Let's go to my garage. You don't want to hear the conversation they're having."

"What are they talking about?" I asked, following her around the side of the house. "You know if I really wanted to know I could just listen, right?"

She stopped, turned, put her hands on her hips, then rolled her eyes impatiently. "They had a bet. One entire week in which no one can say anything to the winners and their partner's about their nightly activities. Emmett thought you two were going to have hate sex then and there," -she made a face at the vulgar and immature personality her husband liked to show at times- "and Jasper was sure you'd have a big emotional conversation and talk it all out. Bella and I sided with Jasper, Alice with Emmett, and Edward was convinced you two were going to fight again, but no one took his side."

I cringed. "I'm sorry, but your husband is an idiot."

"I know," she said, somewhat bitterly, but with a hint of dreaminess in her eyes. "He's not all that bad, though. He's the perfect playmate for Nessie a lot of times. But that's not I wanted to talk about."

I sat down on the shop counter of the garage. "Well, talk."

She sat next to me. "Well, obviously the wolves and the vampires are immune to the scent of one another, by now."

I shrugged. "Okay, and?"

"And you're the only wolf I can stand for more than a moment at a time," she continued, speaking slowly. "And I was wondering if you'd want to hang out sometime. We have a lot in common."

I gave her a confused look. "Being?"

"Well, obviously we're both very determined, stubborn some would call it. We appreciate femininity as more than shopping and glitter. And…neither of us can have kids. At least that's what I heard from Edward a few weeks ago. I felt so sick when I heard that. No one really notices it, but a lot of the money I have ends up being donated to foster homes and orphanages." Rosalie had a distant, sad look in her eyes.

I looked at my lap. She had a point. I hadn't really thought about the fact that we shared that genetic flaw. "I want kids. I've always wanted to have babies. The wolf thing screwed that one up."

She put her hand on my arm, and I found myself wanting to cry. "I'm not gonna say the feeling gets easier. I still hold onto a hope that one day Emmett and I somehow conceive. I don't care if I lose my figure or if I'm never looked at as beautiful again. I still hope. I know it's a lost cause, but having some belief in myself helps, it really does."

"Sam and I always talked about having a baby girl and naming her Sammy and a baby boy and naming him Leo. We weren't going to be the cliché parents that named the baby boy after his daddy and the baby girl after her grandmother. No Samuel and Susannah for us," I said quietly, the place in my heart that Sam had ripped out aching, but then I remembered that Embry had filled it and then some. But still… "And now I can't even have that conversation with Embry, if we even work out."

"You'll work out, I'm sure," she said, rubbing my arm lightly. "Embry's not that bad, for a wolf. And I'm not calling it a power, like what Edward and Alice and Jasper and Bella have, but I've always been pretty good at sensing how relationships would work. By the way you two act around each other, I can tell that you're real. You're not as guarded around him, and he's more confident around you."

I nodded, understanding her completely. "So…you…want to be friends with me?"

Rosalie smiled, a bright happy smile that I had never seen. "Of course. Alice and Bella are more sisters than friends. It'll be a breath of fresh air not to go shopping for clothes or books every time I want to hang out with someone."

"Okay…we're friends."

"You should come around more. Nessie really likes you. We could babysit her together some time, or we could hunt, or whatever you want to do. We'll find something."

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah. She's a cute kid. A bit too intelligent for her own good, though."

Rosalie laughed. "That she is. Oh, look at the time." She looked at the wall clock. "I'm sure you want to get back to Embry. I promised Nessie I'd be her napping buddy for today before the bonfire tonight, then Bella, Alice, and I are getting her ready."

"Oh, yeah," I said, standing up. "Well, it was nice talking to you. I'll see you soon."

"See you."

I walked all the way back to La Push, to the Call home. I let myself in and found Embry almost asleep on the couch.

"Hey, Lee," he said sleepily, accepting my chaste kiss and trying to deepen it in his barely conscious state. "You're back in one piece. Did the conversation go well?"

"Great," I whispered against his lips, trying not to chuckle while I pried his hand from my neck, which made him whine. "Go to sleep, Bry. I'll be right here."

I laid on the couch next to him and put my head on his lap. His hands played with my hair for a moment before stilling, then his light snores filled the air. It was peaceful and it was fairly natural action to be this way, sharing personal space. I fell asleep in his lap, actually, and woke up when he touched my face.

"Hey, there, sleeping beauty," Embry said, tracing my cheekbones. "When did you get here?"

I chuckled. "A few hours ago, and apparently you sleep talk. You were asking me about my chat with Rosalie, then you kept trying to kiss me while you were falling asleep."

He laughed. "Sorry. Mom says I have full conversations in my sleep sometimes."

I grinned up at him. "I feel for your mother more and more every day. Though I doubt you've ever tried to make out with your mom while you were asleep."

"Hush, Leah," he said, pulling me up. "Did you ever kiss me like I wanted?"

I shook my head 'no'. "Just a little touch, then I convinced you to go to sleep."

He grinned. "Then you owe me, Miss Clearwater."

I shook my head 'no' again. "Not now." I wasn't feeling in a particularly flirty mood, at that moment. My mind was drifting back to the conversation Rosalie and I had had, and yearning for kids was not what I wanted to be doing when kissing someone. "When is the bonfire?"

"We have about five hours."

"Why the hell did they want it to be at midnight, again?" I asked, groaning and throwing my hands to cover my face.

Embry rested a hand on my flat tummy, making me flinch. "Sorry, are you okay?"

I uncovered my face. "Fine, I just have some stuff on my mind after everything that's gone down today. I think I need to go home and get some more sleep and get cleaned up for tonight. Pick me up at eleven thirty-ish?" I was already standing up, not really waiting for his answer.

"Okay," he said, looking slightly confused. "I'll see you then. Bye, Leah."

I felt kind of bad for just abandoning him, so I leaned over and kissed him, hoping it would make him shut up. "Later."

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><p><strong>AN: Please review. **

**~Sidney**


	8. Facing the Pack

**Another update! I couldn't resist. I want to have the next story up by tomorrow night. I don't own, and review please! **

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><p><strong>Day Six <strong>

"Leah!" a few of the young pack members called, rushing to me.

"Hey kiddos," I said, ruffling heads of hair.

Even with all the new arrivals, I was the only female. I had no idea why, but the little ones followed me around a lot. Maybe because they were too young to be properly castrated…

"Hey, Leah," Jared said, cutting through the group. "You okay?"

I gave him a little smile. "Yeah. Thanks."

Embry had his hand on the small of my back, leading me through the group as if I were any other imprint, except the guys knew not to tease me like they teased Kim or the other girls. We were greeted by name by everyone, and it seemed like most people were watching us carefully. Our double imprint was the talk of the pack, but it seemed like everyone was accepting of it.

"Hey guys!" Jacob greeted, coming over to us with Nessie on his shoulders, using his hair to steer. "You just get here?"

"Hey, dude!" Quil appeared out of nowhere, smiling at Embry and Jacob. "Other dude." He looked at me. "Dudette. Mini-dudette."

Nessie giggled and waved at Quil. "Hi, Uncle Quil! Mommy let me stay up past my bedtime!"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "And Rose thought it would be fun to feed her ten tons of sugar. She had a nice long nap and needed to be 'rewarded'."

"My Jacob is funny!" she squealed, pulling on his hair. "He said Aunt Rosie is a-"

"Renesmee, what does your daddy keep saying about over sharing?"

She giggled harder. "It's so hard not to talk about everything I'm thinking about. I think about so many things!"

Quil laughed, reaching up to ruffle her hair. "You're too smart, kiddo."

"Yeah," Embry agreed, laughing with Jacob and Quil.

"Aunt Leah, Aunt Rosie says you and her are friends now. Now you can really be my aunt!" Nessie said, reaching for me. "I wanna play with Leah, Jacob!"

Jacob took her off his shoulders and handed her to me. I propped her on my hip by instinct, and it seemed like the right thing to do. She could see everybody, but I kept her close and protected from the chilly night.

"Let's go find some marshmallows and really have fun with Jacob and Uncle Quil and Uncle Embry," I said, throwing an evil smirk at the guys. "We'll meet you back here in a bit."

"Okay!" the baby said, smiling happily.

We found the communal bowl of treats and got a dozen marshmallows. I put her down near the fire and showed her how to skewer them to roast them, and she absolutely loved it. Through a mouthful of the sticky sweet, she suggested we share with the guys, so we went back to them. Jacob picked her up and let her feed him a burnt one, kissing her tiny sticky fingers after he swallowed.

"Thank you, sweet girl," he said, kissing her cheek and making her giggle.

"I want more!" Nessie said, grinning at him.

Jacob gave me an evil look, then agreed, giving the baby a loving smile nevertheless.

"I can't wait until Claire is old enough for this," Quil said with a sigh. "She'd love it."

Embry wrapped an arm around my shoulders and rested his head on mine. "Be jealous, man. You still have fourteen years."

I shoved him playfully. "No marshmallows for you if you're gonna be mean."

"Leah!" he whined, pouting at me.

"Nope. Go get your own."

"I'll be right back." He gave me a mock glare and then went to find the food.

Quil and I stood in silence for a moment, and it grew awkward after a few minutes.

"Um, so…you and Embry," he said, rocking onto his toes. "You two okay now?"

I nodded, looking at my feet. "Thanks for being there for him earlier. I owe you."

Quil met my eyes with a hard expression. "He's like a brother to me. I would have done it anyway. But tell me something."

"What?"

"Why did you treat him like a disease?"

I was shocked by his blatant way of breeching the subject. "I was taken by surprise. This wasn't easy for me either. I imprinted, too, remember?"

He still wasn't too convinced, but Embry got back before we could really argue. "Sam's shushing everyone. Emily wants to say something."

"Hey, everyone, can you listen for just a minute?" Sam's booming voice asked, his head turning in all directions. "Emily and I have something to tell you all."

"We're pregnant!" Emily said, her smile unnaturally huge as she squeezed Sam's hand.

In that instant my heart fell to my feet.

The bonfire was in full swing, and everyone was having such a good time. It seemed like the perfect moment for an announcement of that type. I wasn't sure where the hurt was coming from, but it was making my entire body ache.

_Are you okay? _Embry could sense something was wrong with me.

_Fine_. _I'm going to go congratulate Emily_.

Embry nodded to me, then kissed my cheek lightly. Sam was being swarmed, since it was mostly guys here, and Emily was smiling and living in her own little world. It was easy to get to her, and I smiled and waved a little when I was right in front of her.

"Hi."

"Oh, hey, Leah!" she said happily, smiling even brighter.

"Hey, Emily," I said, accepting her hug offering. "Congrats. You'll be a good mother." The entire time I was talking I was fighting the tears. "Do you want to go on a walk with me? I wanted to talk to you."

"Sure," she said, offering her arm to me. "The guys are having their fun."

I looped my arm through hers and we began to walk down the beach a bit. "Did you hear…"

Emily smiled and nodded. "I'm so happy for you. Embry's a sweetheart."

I nodded, swallowing my tears a bit. "He is. But I wanted to talk to you about you. I've not made things easy for you and Sam, and I wanted to apologize. You're good to him; you keep him in line. I'm sorry for being a bitch, Emily."

Emily was quiet for a long moment, then sighed.

"Do you know," she said softly, "why me and Sam got married two months ago?"

When I didn't say anything, she continued.

"I'm three months pregnant. He wanted to protect me, so he finally set a date." She sounded a little bitter. "It was always you. 'Leah is still hurting' or 'I can't do that to Leah yet'. He was worried about you the entire time we were together. Sam would…talk to you, in his sleep. He'd beg for your forgiveness, ask if there was a way he could fix you. He was still in love with you for a long time."

I took in a shaky breath. "I've been over him for a long time now, but the hurt took longer to go away. When Embry and I… Well, I'm over him. But Rosalie Cullen talked to me earlier today, er…yesterday. And now there's something bothering me that hasn't bothered me in a long time."

"What's that, sweetie?" Emily asked, stroking my arm like she did when we were younger and I'd get upset.

I took in a deep breath. "I can't have kids, and now that I've found Embry, it's bothering me worse than ever." Tears began to fall down my cheeks. "Me and you used to talk about raising our kids close like we were, and there was a time that Sam and I talked about kids, and now you get to be a mommy and Sam's out of my picture."

Emily pulled me into a hug as I choked out sobs. "I'm so sorry, Leah. I wish you could have a baby, too. I miss you, Leah."

"I've missed you, too," I said to her shoulder, trying to restrain my sobs. "I've missed out on so much. I want to go back to the way we were. Rosalie made good with Bella because Bella could have Nessie and she couldn't. The baby isn't the only reason I want to make good -I've really, _really_ missed you-, but if the offer's still good, I'd really like to be Aunt Leah, even if it's all I'll ever be."

"Of course," Emily said, starting to cry as well. "Always. I love you, Lenny."

"I love you, too, Emmy."

When we'd had our make-up and cry time, we walked back to the bonfire. Sam and Embry were talking, and as we approached they shared a man-hug.

"Looks like we're going to be sister-in-laws," Emily said quietly.

I looked over at her. "Guess so. Do they know what they're getting into, dealing with us?"

She laughed softly. "Not at all. I'm happy they're getting along."

I followed her gaze and saw their twin smiles. Now that I thought about it, they were quite similar looking. Though I noticed, without thinking about how I could be biased, that Embry was noticeably more attractive. He looked generally happier, more energetic and wild and free. Sam's hard exterior had been carried throughout his life. Embry could live. Sam could exist. Embry's count was rising higher and higher.

The next thought that occurred to me was that no child would ever have his energy, his heart, or his full lips that stretched into the most heartwarming smile. "I'm gonna let the boys have their time. I'll see you later."

"See you, sweetie."

I began to walk on my own, letting my feet follow a subconscious path while my mind wondered. I let myself cry while I walked. It wasn't as if I was planning on hopping into bed with Embry and getting the whole 'married with kids' thing started. I was still skeptical about how me and Embry were going to work out. What bothered me the most was that now, not only had the fates robbed me of children, they'd robbed Embry as well. I felt so much guilt at it, and I knew I wasn't completely to blame. It was just too hard to think about.

I found my destination with my feet, and then I was sitting on my private secret cliff that I'd been to only days before, and that I'd imprinted at. It was a comfort me to have this place, but I was still in need of something more. Something different. I just didn't know what.

"Leah?" Embry's voice came from the trees behind me softly. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice. I tried to swallow my tears before he saw them.

He sat next to me, stretching his legs out so his feet were just shy of reaching over the side of my -or _our_, I suppose- cliff. "You don't seem okay. Emily said you went on a walk. I thought you might be here."

I shrugged, not arguing. "You caught me."

"You're crying," he said gently, putting an arm around my shoulders. "What's wrong?"

I took a shaky breath. "I'm not really comfortable with talking about it to you right now."

"Well does it affect me in any way?"

"Sort of, in the long run…" I said, looking at my lap.

Embry responded almost instantly. "You're jealous that Emily's having a baby."

I looked at him, not bothering to wipe the tears from my eyes. "How did you know?"

"Well," he said, lifting his free hand to my face to wipe away a tear. "I remember when you first phased, and for three months you agonized over having 'menopause'. You were…weird. Sometimes you even forgot about Sam and Emily and thought about how devastated Sam would be. Now Sam and Emily are pregnant and you're jealous of Emily for having Sam's baby."

"I'm jealous of her for having _a_ baby, not _Sam's_ baby," I said, glaring. "I could care less who that asshole is with. But Emily and I used to be close, and we want to be close again. Even if it were another person she was having it with I'd still be jealous."

Embry looked momentarily confused. "So…what's wrong?"

I was growing frustrated with him, not really wanting to say it like I meant it. I'd thought he'd be intelligent enough to get it. "I can't have a baby. That means that…_we_…can't…"

Understanding dawned on his face. "Oh… Oh, Leah…"

"I can't have kids, and because of the imprint you can't be with another girl at this point since I'm not a baby. By default, _you_ can't have kids." The stupid guilty tears were filling my eyes. "It might not bother you now like it's bothering me, but it will, and you'll resent me and now I feel guilty because if I wasn't around, you'd have imprinted on or found someone who was fine and fertile."

Embry wiped a few of my tears away. "I don't resent you for not being able to have a baby, and I don't care about being with someone fertile. Obviously the fates know us better than we know ourselves, because we're together. I don't _need_ anyone else."

I didn't want to meet his eyes, shying away from the affection he had for me and the trust he had in the fates that ruined us. "The fates are bitches who love to screw people over."

"I don't feel that way," Embry said softly, looking taken aback.

"Why not?"

He took my chin and made me look him in the eye. "Because when I phased, I finally belonged somewhere, and wasn't just the kid of the teenage mom."

I pouted, feeling guilty for offending him. "Sorry, it's just hard for me. Not much good has come out of this for me. It's just…Rosalie said something about it earlier and I haven't been able to get it off my mind. I don't want kids _now_ or anything, but in the future it would be nice, you know?"

"We can always adopt," Embry said gently, giving me an encouraging smile. "We can be parents to some accidental baby like me that wasn't as lucky as I was by having a mother that took responsibility. And like you said, we don't have to worry about it _now_. We're just getting into this thing -this thing between us- and there will be plenty of time to worry about a family later."

I nodded, letting him pull me into his arms. "Yeah."

"And this is what's been bothering you all afternoon?"

"Yeah," I murmured, resting my head in the crook of his neck. "Sorry."

He rubbed my back, kissing my temple. "It's okay, Leah. I just wish you would tell me what's bothering you instead of hiding it."

"I was embarrassed," I said quietly. "We're barely starting this thing between us, and now I'm upset over kids."

Embry laughed, giving me a squeeze. "You're pretty awesome, you know that? And what we have isn't just a 'thing'. You can talk to me."

I nodded, planting a small kiss on the side of his neck bashfully. "I know that now. This thing between us isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"It'll be the hardest thing in the world," he said with a chuckle. "But…"

"It'll be the easiest too, won't it?"

He laughed, hugging me close. "Exactly. I knew you'd get it."

"Bry?"

"Yeah, Lee?"

"I'm glad it was you."

**A/N: Please review, and check out my blog! **

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><p><strong>~Sidney<strong>


	9. A Family Affair

**Here is the final chapter of the first installment of The Only Exception. It's the last chapter of Bonding, and tonight at around ten, I'll post the first chapter of Falling. Please check out my blog and other stories, and again, **mami-hai**, I'm sorry that I can't respond to your reviews, but thank you so much for all of your sweet comments and feedback. **

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><p><strong>Day Seven <strong>

When I woke up, rain was beating the windows of my home, and I was vaguely aware of a warm something against my right side. I didn't remember what time it was or how I got there, but someone's hair was tickling my arm, and their snores were filling the room. I smiled as I recognized my napping buddy, and eased my arm around him to allow his head to fall into my lap. I stroked his soft hair until he woke up, then smiled down at him as his own tiny smile formed.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," I teased, tapping his nose.

"Morning, Leah," he said, getting comfortable on my lap. "Do you know how we got here?"

"No idea," I said with a chuckle. "I was hoping you could tell me that."

He thought for a few minutes. "The last thing I remember is Quil and Jake convincing me to go home and get some rest somewhere between six and eight. I think Embry carried you and Quil helped me while Jake got Ness home."

I smiled at my little brother. "Aw, you didn't kill Embry. I think you're making progress."

Seth laughed. "I think he was trying to soften me up. He put you on the couch and kissed your head, then left. He didn't even act like he was going to put you in your room. I was impressed."

"So are you still mad at me?"

He sat up and pouted. "I wasn't mad at you. I was overreacting. It was just gross seeing his tongue down your throat, and it didn't help that you just phased down without explaining. And…I was worried. About you."

I grabbed his shoulders and pulled my huge baby brother into my arms. "I love you, Sethy, but you don't have to be worried. This won't be like Sam. He can't hurt me, and he wouldn't if he could. We've talked about a lot of things, and this imprint is weird, but we're just going to go with it."

"I love you, too, Leah. I'm sorry I called you a whore."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

I planted a huge kiss on his forehead, which he tried to rub off, and I knew we were okay. "I'm hungry."

"Me too," Seth said, as if he'd just noticed it. "What time is it? I'm _starving_."

"Well it's about time you two woke up," Mom said, walking into the room with a large basket of laundry.

Seth and I exchanged confused looks. "Mom, it can't be but four or five, right? Leah and I were out really late."

She smiled, then moved to sit down between us. "Oh, I know. Leah, Embry had to carry you home, because apparently you fell asleep on his shoulder when everyone was sitting around the fire. Seth, you and Quil made a team effort to get home. You looked drunk stumbling up the street together. Embry put Leah on the couch and you fell on her."

I laughed and Seth shot me a glare. "Shut up…"

"And then neither of you would wake up for anything all day yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Seth and I replied in unison.

"Yes, yesterday. It was like the time we went to Disney world when you were little. As soon as we were on the plane, you passed out and slept through two flight changes, the hour long drive home, and then through the whole next day."

Seth and I started to laugh, then I realized something. "Crap, Embry's gonna-"

"He's called three times, came to visit, and driven by about a thousand times. Call him, sweetie, before he has a panic attack. I'll get you two something to eat."

I bit my lip trying not to laugh. "Ah, yeah." I got up and to go find the phone, then the doorbell rang.

"And that'll be him," Mom said, rolling her eyes with a slight grin.

"Dammit, I'm all gross…" I realized I was still in my sand infested clothes from the other night. "Seth, will you get the door and please be civil? I have _got_ to get into something clean."

"Aw, Leah has a boyfriend," he said, making kissy faces. "Fine, but I can't promise I'll be hospitable."

I shot him a glare, then darted to the back of the house to my room. I quickly stripped myself of my clothing, then slipped into the shower for a quick scrub down. I forwent drying my hair and instead pulled on my clothes and gave my hair a good shake and towel dried it a bit. Finally I gave up and let my hair hang stringy, not giving a damn what I looked like. The smell of my favorite homemade spinach, bacon, and cheese quiche coaxed me to the kitchen, where Embry and Seth were helping her. When Embry saw me, he put down the stack of plates he was carrying and walked up to me.

"Hey, Lee," he said, smiling and blushing a little. "Sleep well?"

I nodded, returning his smile. "Apparently for thirty hours."

He chuckled, then put a hand on my cheek and kissed my forehead. "C'mon, you need food."

Seth and I ate three helpings each, and Mom and Embry one. It was kind of weird, seeing someone else at the table. Charlie came over a lot, but I was used to him. He was regular. Embry was new. After breakfast, I helped Mom clean up while Embry and Seth went to mess around with some video game they loved.

"So while you were in the shower I asked Embry if he and his mother would come over for dinner with us," she said, biting her lip hesitantly.

"Us as in…?"

"As in you and I," she said, scrubbing a pan carefully. "Would you want to?"

I considered this. I'd met Cassie, Embry'd met Mom, the moms had met… "Uh, sure. Sounds fun."

Mom gave me a look. "Don't lie, young lady."

I laughed, then took the pan to rinse it. "I'm nervous about the four of us being in the same room, but it does sound like it'd be fun once we all get comfortable."

She smiled, turning off the water and drying her hands. "I'm so happy, sweetheart."

"About what?"

"The light's back in your eyes. You've been so different the last few years, but I finally see my little girl coming back. I think this imprinting business is a good thing."

I blushed a little, but smiled broadly. "You think so?"

My mother pulled me into a hug. "Yes, I do. If it makes you happy again, it's a good thing."

I didn't have to apologize. She knew by the hug I returned what I meant. "Thanks, Mom."

After we finished cleaning up, I went to find Embry. He was in the midst of playing a game with Seth, but when he saw me waiting, he stopped and unplugged his controller. He took my hand and tugged me along.

"I'm going out, Ma," I called as I was pulled out the door into the rain. "Be back later."

"Where to?" Embry asked, opening the passenger side door of his car for me.

"Don't know, what do you want to do?" I asked as he slid into his seat. "Where do you want to _go_? We have a good afternoon clear but it's storming and we have to be able to get back in time for dinner."

He cranked the car up, then shot me a grin. "Our cliff?"

"In a storm?"

"Ah, you haven't fully explored it," Embry said with a devious smile. "C'mon, Lee, I have something to show you."

We drove a little way to an abandoned public park, which was positioned down a steep, rough hill from our cliff. Embry got out and opened my door for me, then led me to the steep hill in the pouring rain.

"Where are we going?" I called through the sound of a million raindrops bombarding the land around us.

"There's this little cave under the hill, and it leads to this little spot right under the cliff sheltered from the rain and everything," he said in my ear, pulling me close enough to hear him. "Follow me."

Embry took my hand and led me to a hole in the fence at the park. He look me to a place that had a thick layer of shrubbery, where he pulled the soft limbs away and held them for me to slide into the tiny entrance. Embry barely fit in himself, and then he took the lead again, pulling me along the passageway. We came into a small room with a flat space and a decline starting about six feet from the entrance that led to the beach. What surprised me the most was a picnic set up in the middle part of the dry room.

"Surprise," Embry said, making a sweeping motion over the area with his arm. "What do you think?"

My mouth was agape, my eyes sweeping the room. "This is for me? You did this for me?"

He smiled and blushed faintly. "For us, for a first date of sorts. I had some time on my hands, sleeping beauty."

I gave a half smile and lifted a hand to his face. "Thank you. This is the perfect first date." I stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently.

His hands caught my waist as I pulled back. "It's been too long; you can do better than that." He gave a little grin and kissed me again, deeper this time, and pulled back again fairly soon (one could say _too_ soon). "I know you've already eaten, but I brought some sweets and something to drink."

"Well we can always just talk, or just hang out, or whatever you want to do," I said, tugging him to the blanket he'd laid down. "We can just…" _Be close to each other_. "Without interruptions, ya know?"

His reply was a huge smile and to sit down, pulling me down with him and into his lap, which made me blush. _That's a great idea._

Obviously, after that, he kissed me again. It was nice, and he was a great kisser, but I got overwhelmed after a few minutes of it. It had been so long since anyone had kissed me like that. I wasn't used to letting my guard down, and I really didn't want to get to that place that I was at with Sam, the one where he had control over me. I didn't want someone to have control of me now. I'd grown up, and I'd realized that during the time Sam and I were together, he had control over me. He tried to make it seem like I had the control, but now I realized that that was all part of his game. At the point I realized I'd stopped kissing back, Embry had long since noticed and had slowed down and now his forehead was resting against mine, his lips hovering over mine non-threateningly.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, rubbing a hand over my back. "Did I go too fast?"

I gave an apologetic look. "I'm fine, just…" I didn't want to say it, but after our conversation on our cliff the early morning before, I knew I should. "I haven't been kissed like that in so long… It's weird for my guard to be let down."

Embry nodded in understanding, then brushed his lips over mine softly. "Don't let me make you uncomfortable. I don't want to upset you, Lee. You can always tell me when you're not okay with something."

"Okay," I breathed, tilting my head up a little. "I want to let my guard down. But I'm scared."

He laughed lowly. "Good, I thought I was the only one."

I gave a tiny smile. "So it's okay if I just want to talk?"

"It's perfectly fine," he said, giving me a light kiss on the cheek. "But is it okay if you stay where you are? I like it."

I grinned fully this time. Embry made me feel like a thirteen year old with their first crush. His silliness was contagious, and it wasn't all that bad to feel young again. I'd been so young when I got serious with Sam that I'd missed the fun in being with someone who made me laugh. Now I was forever nineteen, and I had all the time in the world to flirt and tease and be a little kid with a crush. I kissed his nose and tucked myself back into his arms. "Me too."

When we talked, we talked about anything and everything. I won't get into specifics, but it was nice to get to know his mind, better than the wolf gene let us. It was different to hear it out of his mouth, because you can lie to yourself in your mind. When you're sharing a truly intimate conversational moment with someone, it's hard to lie to anyone let alone yourself.

Dinner was an…interesting affair. Mom and Cassie got along like old friends, and Embry and I were completely uncomfortable. The mothers chatted and complimented the other (Mom's cooking, Cassie's good job with raising Embry). It was very basic, very 'your mom meets the mom of your boyfriend'. It made me feel normal, in a way.

"Sweetheart, don't you want to get dessert?" Mom asked, taking a sip of the coffee she had made for herself and Cassie. "I made a cheesecake this afternoon while you were out."

I nodded and went to the kitchen to get it. I brought back the treat and plates and forks for everyone. Mom cut the cake and everyone dug in, and it was delicious.

"Sue, this is amazing," Embry said, his mouth full and his fork digging for more.

"Embry, please don't talk with your mouth full," Cassie said, after swallowing her own bite. "It's rude, and we're guests."

Mom laughed and smiled at Cassie. "I've nearly forgotten what table manners are since my kids joined the pack. All of those kids eat like it's going out of style."

I rolled my eyes, then stole a chip of the crust from her plate and popped it into my mouth, then gave her a grin. She smacked me with the curved part of the fork, then took her own bite. The banter went on for a while like that, and it was funny and natural. I offered to clean up so she and Cassie could keep swapping anecdotes and Embry volunteered to help me, so we were alone in my tiny kitchen, our moms laughing in the next room.

"They like each other," Embry said, nudging me as his mom burst into giggles. "Mom's laugh is so weird, you only hear it if she really like you."

I grinned, chuckling at that fact. "That's funny. Mom adores you already, and your mom. This is getting scary."

"Maybe they want to make this easier on us," he suggested with a small smile. "They seem to like the match."

I gave a little shrug. "Seems like. Maybe it's not such a curse to have the fates out to get you."

Embry knew I was joking, and he smiled fully. "Told you so."

"You did not just 'I told you so' me!" I said, snapping at him with a dishtowel.

"I didn't say 'I', I just said 'told you so'," he said, snatching the towel from me and snapping it at me, making me laugh as I dodged it.

"Stop! Help! Heeeeelp!"

We were in a full on battle, Embry chasing me and me dodging him for all I was worth. The moms walked to the kitchen door to see what we were up to, then walked back to the living room with twin rolls of their eyes. I heard, with my sensitive hearing, them talking as they sat back down.

"They are definitely in love," Cassie said quietly, which made me tinge pink at the thought of being 'in love' with Embry.

Mom sighed, and I could hear the pleased tone in her voice. "Embry makes Leah so happy. It's good to have my baby girl back again."

That made my eyes fill with tears. Embry caught me by the waist while I was eavesdropping, and when I turned around to face him he had a smile on his face. "They like us. They really like us."

The tears receded and I gave him a mock glare. "If this is gonna work you need to get better jokes."

"You know you love me, Leah," he said, kissing my nose.

"Yeah, that's it," I said sarcastically, wrinkling my nose at him.

He grinned and leaned down to kiss me. The kiss was gentle and light, but it made me dizzy with happiness and pleasure. It was crazy, but there was a possibility my…'crush', you may call it…on Embry was growing.

"This is technically our one week anniversary, you know," Embry said softly, his lips still close to mine.

I chuckled. "Yeah, let's call it that."

He just grinned and lowered his lips to mine again.

This may have been the end of the seven days, but it was only the beginning of this 'thing' with Embry.

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><p><strong>AN: Yay! It's not really over! To all my fantabulous reviewers, thank you so much! Falling will be up at ten tonight! **

**~Sidney**


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